Heard on the Street

BROWN OUT. Curt Brown, at the helm as general manager of KTTS AM-FM since October 1968, Nov. 16 announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31. The 64-year-old Brown is "loose as a goose right now," he said, without definite plans for his retirement. Though "within a month or so, I might get another job" if retirement proves too mundane. A series of stressful events this fall key personnel departed, there was a fire at the station, among other things led Brown to decide on retirement now, he said. "Had it not been for all that (stress), I probably would not retire." Brown has suggested to his bosses at Journal Broadcast Group a few names for his successor. A decision on a replacement will be made as soon as possible, Brown said, with the hope that a new general manager will be in place before he departs. When Brown began his career at KTTS there were five radio stations in Springfield. There are now 23. KTTS has had a string of 27 years, still ongoing, as the No. 1 rated radio broadcast in the market. "I've been fortunate that I've always liked the people I work for and they've liked me," Brown said.

SECOND QUARTER.COM. TravelNow.com Inc., Springfield's own entry in the dot-com world, Nov. 15 announced its results for the quarter that ended Sept. 30. The Internet-based travel reservation company had revenues of $1.02 million for the three-month period, up from revenues of $252,471 for the same period in 1998. The most recent quarter had net income of $46,387. The 1998 second fiscal quarter had net income of $73,853. For the six months that ended Sept. 30, TravelNow had revenues of $1.4 million and a net loss of $700,764. A company release attributed the six-month net loss to a $650,000 noncash charge for stock-based compensation for employee stock bonuses. TravelNow.com trades under the symbol TNOW on the OTC Bulletin Board.

CID. The Community Improvement District in downtown Springfield is one step closer to having a board of directors. The steering committee chose a slate of candidates for the board Nov. 16. The slate will now go to City Council for approval Dec. 13. Council will either reject or accept the entire slate. The candidates are Mary Lilly Smith, Mary Faucett, Gregg Bennett, Dianne Elizabeth, Bob Horton, Dennis Radford-Kapp, Dan Carter, Rob Weislocher, Steve Stepp, Bob Menzie, Allen Casey, Aaron Owen and Kent Thomas. The board must include a representative from one tax-exempt property owner in the district, one registered voter who lives in the district, one representative from the Downtown Springfield Association and one from the Urban Districts Alliance, three representatives from the Special Business District Advisory Board, two business owners who do not own property in the district, six directors from the immediate CID and two directors from the outlying area of the CID. Board members may represent more than one requirement. Faucett, for example, fills both the registered voter and SBD representative requirements.

MOTORCYCLE MECCA? Mike Wright, executive director of the Gold Wing Road Riders Association, the folks responsible for bringing the Wing Ding to Springfield, Nov. 18 announced plans for the first Ozark Motorcycle Jubilee, an annual event to take place during Labor Day weekend in Springfield. The event will attract riders of every kind of motorcycle (mopeds not included), not limited to the Honda Gold Wing riders who were catered to in the 1999 Wing Ding here. Coordinators of the Jubilee hope to draw 6,000 to 8,000 people and eventually surpass the Wing Ding in attendance, according to Kristin Kubitschek. public relations manager at the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau. As with the Wing Ding, the Jubilee will feature a parade, bike show, trade show and other entertainment.

MILLION DOLLAR BABY. Springfield's William H. McDonald has been certified as a member of The Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an exclusive group of about 1,500 attorneys in the United States. The cool-million club requires its trial lawyers to have a verdict or settlement in the amount of $1 million or more. McDonald is the president and primary shareholder of McDonald & Associates. He has practiced in Springfield since 1973. Among McDonald's victories is a $6 million verdict in a product liability, personal injury suit brought and tried in Louisiana. The 1994 jury verdict was finalized, after appeals, in 1997.

SLICE OF NICE. Volunteers are needed at the Ronald McDonald House, a shelter for parents of seriously ill and injured children who must travel far from home to receive treatment in Springfield's health care facilities. Volunteer positions are open in weekly three-hour shifts during various hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. For more information, call Roni Fletcher at 885-0500.